1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a computer program product.
2. Description of the Related Art
On an occasion of visiting a company, an event, a seminar, or the like, a procedure at the reception is required. As the procedure at the reception, the following steps, for example, may be necessary: the visitor writes down information on the visit; the reception notifies by telephone a person to meet the visitor that the visitor has arrived; and the reception provides an admission card.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-171350 discloses a visitor management system in which: a visit reception apparatus transmits a reception number corresponding to visit-schedule information to a terminal of a visitor; an admission card issuing apparatus transmits a reception number to the visit reception apparatus upon accepting the reception number; the visit reception apparatus transmits authentication information to the admission card issuing apparatus; the admission card issuing apparatus outputs the authentication information by printing out the authentication information on a printing medium; an admission gate apparatus reads out the authentication information as the printing medium is shown thereto and transmits the thus read authentication information to the visit reception apparatus; the visit reception apparatus determines whether to admit the entry and transmits control information based on a result of the determination to the admission gate apparatus; and the admission gate apparatus brings a gate into action in accordance with the control information.
However, it has been difficult to promptly issue a permit for entry to a visitor and notify a visitor-receiving person to receive the visitor that the visitor has arrived.
In view of the above, there is a need to provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a computer program product that make it possible to promptly issue a permit for entry to a visitor and notify a visitor-receiving person who is to receive the visitor that the visitor has arrived.